Introspection was a beautiful thing. It's too bad I only knew about it at my old age. However, introspection might just be what I needed for my current circumstance.

So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and had a long sigh. Counting few seconds while listening to my heartbeat, I prepared to answer all questions that were hidden deep.

'What has just been given to me?' A chance to live a second life.

'What is my wish for this second life?' I wished to live better. I wished to appreciate things that matter. I wished to not spending it on eternal grinding and endless struggle. I wished to escape all horrible places and people.

'What is needed for me to appreciate things that matter?' The memory of my last life. Recollection of my failures and regrets.

'What is needed for me to not spending this second life on eternal grinding and endless struggle?' ... ... ...

'Do not hesitate, be true to yourself.' I needed wealth, I guessed. A good chunk of my life was wasted to acquire it.

'What is needed for me to escape horrible people and places?' A sure-means to walk away from them. An ability to bypass all boundaries and shackles.

'What are the pills that fulfill those requirements?' The grey one, the yellow one, and the orange one.

'Why not the others?' The white one went against my wish. The black one wouldn't even grant me the enjoyment to piss.

'And?'

The red one had too many ambiguity. It wasn't sure whether I would be the strongest or just one mighty among the many. If I were to rely on violence to make my life comfortable, I must have no equal in power. Else, I would be trapped fighting an endless battle.

The purple one was quite scary, but at the same time was the most shabby. The possible targets I could think of were just kids, the desperate, the ignorant, and the ones with stupidity. A thousand strong lackeys would be no match for the true army. More importantly, I wasn't sure if I could rely all my wants and needs on others. After all, not all people could give me ruby, and not all dolls could make me happy.

'And?'

The blue one was tempting, but I was a weakling. I would only be able to fly low and slow. The red pill would able to mitigate the disadvantages, but I already decided to not take it. Moreover, flying wasn't a sure thing to by pass shackles and boundaries. After all, even here on earth, cage could contain bird.

The green one was simply too hard to use. Invisibility would be great if it were only the enemy who couldn't see. Instead, it also affecting me. Plus, there were still walls and hard-to-escape facility that could trap me.

'What are the consequences of choosing the pills of your choice?'

By choosing the grey one, I consciously throwing myself to the middle of 'battle'. The previous owner had left their body, and they were happy. It meant they had been suffering, be it mentally or physically. Also, they most likely had a ton of problems, and I would be the one left to solve them.

By choosing the yellow one, I knowingly half-ruining myself. Money was quick to make the person who held it weak and corrupted. I better always reminded myself of the days when I had to crawl through the mud and suffer.

By choosing the orange one, I intentionally playing a dangerous game with my lung. Even professional swimmers didn't like to hold their breath, so I had trainings waiting for me on the other side. It also would be best if I could use this intangibility as little as possible. After all, the only scenarios to put this ability to use were when I had attacks to dodge or walls to cross through.

'Will you regret this decision?' Yes, most likely. I was not the wisest, nor was the smartest. But regret was an old friend, and I was sure no matter what I chose he would shortly show up.

Done with self-questioning, I slowly opened my eyes and picked up the pills of my choosing. The voice in my head told me to swallow them, so one by one I put the pills in my mouth and send them down my throat.

When all three pills were eaten, the black obsidian table was slowly disappeared. Few seconds after, bone-white ancient looking door emerged from where the table had just stood.

I stared at the door for awhile and took a deep breath. After ten heartbeats, I nervously opened the gate, and stepped through it.